Marker light



Jan. 28, 1936. R H1GG|N$ `lvIARKER LIGHT Filed Oct. lO, 1952 NVENTOR BY @i e ATTO NEY Patented Jan. 28, 1936 UNITED STATES MARKER LIGHT Ralph Higgins, Akron, Ohio, assignor to The Ohio Brass Company, Mansfield, Ohio, a corporation of New Jersey Application October 10, 1932, Serial No. 637,108

11 Claims.

'This invention relates to lighting systems, and particularly to markers for electrical transmission lines and other structures to warn aviators of the presence of these structures.

One object of the invention is to provide a marker which shall be economical to manufacture and operate and eiective in service. A further object of the invention is to provide a marker which can be energized directly from the voltage on the transmission line and which can be applied to high potential transmission lines without interfering with the operation of the line.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description.

The invention is exemplified by the combination and arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawing and. described in the following specication, and it is more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of one form of marker embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3is an elevation of a portion of a transmission line and its supporting insulator, showing the marker applied to the line; the figure being on a smaller scale than Figs. l and 2.

Fig. 4 shows the marker applied to the transmission line supported on a pin type insulator.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modified clamp for securing the marker to the line.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation partly7 in section of the modification shown in Fig. 5.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the numeral I0 designates a high potential transmission line having capacitance members II and I2 mounted thereon by clamps I3 and I4, the capacitance members being insulated from the transmission line by insulators I5, I6, I'l and I8. Spring clips I9 and 20 are connected with the insulators I5 and I6 and form the terminals for a lighting element 2l. The lighting element is preferably a neon tube or other gas filled tube which can be illuminated by a small current. It will be noted that the clip 20 is electrically connected to the clamp I3 and insulated from the capacitance member Il, while the clip I9 is electrically connected to the capacitance member II and insulated from the transmission line. By this arrangement, charging current for the capacitance member II will flow through the tube 2| and illuminate the tube.A A

similar lighting element 22 may be connected to the capacitance member l2. The capacitance members II and I2 are made of open-work structure so that the light will shine through these members.

It will be seen that the lighting element can be mounted directly on the line and requires no external or ground connection, so that it in no way interferes with the operation of the line or affects the insulation of the line. In fact, where the lighting element is mounted near the supporting structure, as shown in Fig. 3, the capacitance members II and I2 have the effect of increasing the diameter of the conductor so as to cut down corona and reduce thetendency to discharge between the transmission line and the supporting structure, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. This device may also be mounted on any of the high voltage conductors between supports in mid span. This is very important where high voltage lines span a valley, creating a hazard for airplanes ilying through the valley, that these lines be effectively marked.

Instead of supporting the insulators on clamps I3 and I4 held to the line by clamping bolts, a spring clamp may be provided for mounting the device on the line, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. In this case the insulators I5, I6, Il and I8 are mounted on the jaws of spring clamps 23 so that the device may be readily applied to the line by simply opening the jaws of the clamps, by means of insulating tongs, and applying them to the line IIJ, while the same is alive. Instead of using I a spring clamp, the insulators I5, I6, Il and I8 may be mounted on other standard live line clamps. It is apparent that either form of device may be readily applied to transmission lines already in service and may be detached if desired with very little eiiort and no change in existing means of high voltage transmission line installation.

In this device, advantage is taken of the fact that the charging current from an energized conductor is much greater next to the conductor, due to the stray field eiect. Thus, a small area of the capacitor II and I2 is much more effective than a far larger area next to ground in producing sufficient charging current to light the vapor tube.

In the operation of vapor tubes, the initial or f starting voltage required to light the tube is quite high as compared to the voltage required to maintain its illumination current. With the capacitors Il and I2 mounted near the live conductor, as shown in this device, a very high potential will existbetween the conductor 'I0 and the capacitors Il and I2 when the tube is ,darkand taking yconductor I and capacitors Il and i2 will drop to a low value, depending upon the amount of current, which in turn is limited by charging current from the capacitors il and l2.

It has been found that atmospheric static, or static induced from other near-by high voltage conductors, will be suiicient to give the tubes of this device a flickering illumination, due to the high frequency nature of this static, even when the conductorl l0 is not energized from its normal source of supply.

In some cases it may be of advantage Ato connect the two capacitors il and E2 together by the jumper 3l. When this is done, only one tube, the one having the lowest initial or starting voltage, will light up. This one will then take the charging current of both capacitors il and I2 as the other tube will not have a chance to light, due to the fact that the potential between the conductor I0 and capacitors il and l2 will immediately drop as soon as the rst tube lights. In time, when this tube becomes burnt out or becomes defective, the other tube will then become operative. This tube then can be classed as a spare tube, and if its location is known or purposely made the lower one in position, the service man can take note of this fact and replace the former tube before both tubes become defective. In case both tubes become defective, a static discharge will be likely to take place between the conductor l0 and capacitors Il and i2, across the shortest striking distance or over the surface of the insulators I6 and l1. This will be likely to cause a serious radio interference. To remedy this situation, it may be desirable to bridge these insulators with resistors 38. The resistance of these can be high enough so as not to rob the tubes of too much current while they are in operation, yet will be suiilcientfto furnish the capacitors with enough charging current to prevent any discharge taking place.

Another important use for this device when mounted on high voltage conductors and other live apparatus, as bus bars in power houses or sub-stations, is that it will serve .as a means of voltage indications, showing that these parts are alive, for the convenience of operators, linemen and others.

Figs. 6 and '7 show a lighting element adapted for installation on a supporting tower or other structure, as shown in Fig. 8. In these figures, a pair of lighting -elements 24 is shown having one end connected toa terminal clip 25 mounted i directly on the supporting base, as shown in Fig.

6. An insulator 26 supports a terminal member 21 for the other ends of the lighting elements 24, and the terminal member 21 is provided with a supply conductor 2B. A short-circuiting switch 29 may be provided for grounding the terminal 2l and cutting out the lights 24 when vit is desired to change the lights or perform other operations l on the installation. y

In Fig. 8 the conductor 23 in the left hand side of the gure is connected through a spring 29 to a point 30 along the string of insulators 3i which supports the conductor 32. It will be seen that the lighting elements 24 in this case are subjected to a voltage corresponding to the voltage drop over'the insulator units between the point 30 and the supporting structure 33. The lighting elements 24 in the right hand side of Fig. 8 are connected by the conductor 28 to a capacitor plate 34 mounted on the vksupporting structure in inductive capacitance relation to the conductor 35. The plate 34 is insulated from the grounded struc'- ture by insulators 36. It will be apparent that the plate 34 will have a potential induced therein between the potential of the grounded structure and that of the transmission line 35, the potential depending upon the position of the plate 34 relative to the grounded structure and transmission line. Charging current for the plate 34 will flow from the grounded structure through the lighting elements 24 and the conductor-28.

I claim:

1. The combination with a high voltage transmission line conductor, of an open-work capacitance member of conducting material disposed adjacent said conductor but insulated therefrom, and a lighting element disposed at one side of said capacitance member in position to shine therethrough and electrically connected between said conductor and open-work capacitance member and energized by charging current ilowing between said conductor and capacitance member.

2. `The combination with a high voltage transmission line conductor, of an open-work capacitance member mounted on said conductor but insulated therefrom, and a lighting element of the gas filled tube type disposed within said capacitance member and electrically connected between said conductor and capacitance member, and energized by charging current flowing between said conductor and capacitance member.

3. The combination with a transmission line conductor and its supporting structure, of an open-work capacitance member mounted on said conductor 'adjacent said structure but insulatedl from said conductor and from ground and having an extended surface transverse to lines normal to the axis of said conductor, and a lighting element of the gas filled tube type disposed at one side of said capacitance member in position to shine therethrough and electrically connected between said conductor and capacitance member and energized by charging current owing between said conductor and capacitance member.

4. The combination with a transmission line conductor, of a pair of insulators mounted on said conductor, an open-work cage of conducting material mounted on said insulators, and a lighting element mounted on said conductor beneath a portion of said cage, and electrically connected between said conductor and cage.

5. The combination with a transmission line conductor, of a marker removably mounted on said conductor, said marker comprising a capacitor of conducting open-work sheet material extending longitudinally oi' said conductor and curved about said conductor and partially surrounding the same, means for insulating said and terminal members for said lighting element,

one of said terminal members being electrically connected with the terminal of one of said insulators secured to said conductor, and the other of said terminal members being electrically conncted with the terminal of the other insulator secured to said capacitance member.

7. 'Ihe combination with a high voltage transmission line conductor, of a capacitor mounted in close proximity to said conductor. a lighting element electrically connected between said capacitor and said conductor and energized by charging current owng between said capacitor and said conductor, and a high resistance element in parallel with said lighting element to prevent arcing between said capacitor and said conductor in case of failure of said lighting element said resistance element having a sufciently high resistance when current is flowing therein not to rob said lighting element of enough current to interfere seriously with the operation of said lighting element, yet having suiilcient conductivity to prevent arcing between said capacitor and said conductor if said light fails.

8. The combination with a high voltage trans-V mission line conductor, of a pair of lighting elements, means for supplying energy for said lighting elements from said conductor, said means comprising a capacitor in electrostatic inductive relation with said transmission line one of said lighting elements having a lower starting voltage than the other to enable said lower starting voltage element to divert current from the other element and to prevent illumination of said other element during operation of said lower starting voltage element but to permit operation of said other element when said lower starting voltage element fails, said lighting elements being arranged in a certain predetermined relation to each other such that an observer cognizant of vthat relation may ascertain by observing the light whether the energized element is the one having the higher or the one having the lower starting voltage in order to know whether or not one of the elements has failed.

9. The combination with a high voltage transmission line conductor, of a capacitor disposed adjacent said conductor, a pair of lighting elements of the gas filled tube type electrically connected in parallel between said capacitor and said conductor, one of said elements having a lower starting voltage than the other to divert current from the other when the lower starting voltage element is Aenergized but to permit said other element to be energized when said lower starting voltage element fails, and a high resistance in parallel with said lighting elements to prevent arcing between said conductor and capacitor when both of said elements fail said high resistance being of suiilcient amount that current ilowing therein will prevent arcing between said capacitor and said conductor when said capacitor and conductor are otherwise disconnected but will not be sumcient to interfere materially with the operation of said lights.

10. The combination with a transmission line conductor, of a marker mounted on said conductor, vsaid marker comprising an insulator, a releasable spring held clip having said insulator fixed thereto and having relatively movable jaws for removably securing said insulator to said conductor, a capacitor member mounted on said insulator and a lighting element electrically connected between said conductor and said capacitor member, said spring held clip having operating means projecting therefrom and connected to said jaws for opening the same to facilitate application or removal of said marker while said line is energized. y

11. 'I'he combination with a transmission line, of a capacitor mounted on and encircling said line but insulated therefrom and a lighting element electrically connected between said line and capacitor and energized by charging current flowing between said line and capacitor, said lighting element being'disposed within said capacitor. said capacitor being adapted for the passage of light therethrough from said lighting element.

RALPH HIGGINS. 

